Notes on a Scorecard

ALLAN MALAMUD

It's too bad the disheartened Angels didn't show any of the spirit Tuesday at the Kingdome that UCLA did when it won the NCAA basketball championship there last April despite the injury to Tyus Edney. . . .

Gibson finished the '88 season with 25 home runs, 76 runs batted in and a .290 average. . . .

Of course, Karros will face tougher competition in the balloting than Gibson. . . .

Colorado outfielder Dante Bichette, who gets to play half his games at the Coors Field launching pad, has enormous numbers. . . .

Mike Piazza probably will split some of the Dodger vote with Karros. . . .

Barry Larkin is the heart, soul and all-around star of the Cincinnati Reds. . . .

Atlanta's Greg Maddux, who has won 18 of 20 decisions, is a candidate to become the first pitcher to win the award since St. Louis' Bob Gibson in 1968. . . .

In the American League, Cleveland's Albert Belle is having the best season, but Boston's Mo Vaughn is much more popular with the writers who vote. Seattle's Edgar Martinez is about to win another batting title, but still doesn't get enough recognition. . . .

News item: New York Yankees, seeking wild-card berth, acquire Rick Honeycutt from Oakland for cash. Reaction: In the days before wild cards, Honeycutt was involved in two major Dodger deals. They got him from Texas for Dave Stewart and Ricky Wright in August 1983, and traded him to Oakland for Tim Belcher in August 1987. . . .

I wonder who will win the fashion contest between Macho Camacho, who fights Tony Rodriguez at the Grand Olympic on Thursday, and Jorge Paez, who has a rematch on Saturday with Jose Vida Ramos on Channel 9 from Caesars Tahoe. . . .

Camacho, who didn't fight enough when he was in his prime, will be making his eighth appearance this year and expects to have two or three more bouts before January. . . .

USC's offense has been so efficient that it is keeping punter John Stonehouse out of the national rankings. He is averaging 45.9 yards, but has punted only 10 times in three games. Only those who punt an average of at least 3.6 times a game are eligible for the rankings. . . .

New Coach Tyrone Willingham's discipline is working at Stanford. . . .

If nothing else, Detroit Lion Coach Wayne Fontes is resilient. . . .

As part of its first midnight madness festivities Oct. 15 at Pauley Pavilion, UCLA will give 10 contestants each 4.8 seconds to go coast-to-coast and make a basket--the same time it took Edney against Missouri in the NCAA tournament. . . .

3Com Park is the worst place to watch a major league baseball game since Candlestick Park.